Fundraising Appeal for wife of Cinnamon Dhonveli guitarist Tinn

During our conference in March this year Tinn the guitarist; who has been entertaining us for many years; phoned me and reluctantly asked if one of our doctors could review his wife’s medications as she seemed not to be getting any relief. Aishath is only in her mid-20s and suffers from severe rheumatoid arthritis. Tinn brought her to the island in a wheelchair on the night of the cocktail party. Prior to the function Bill Walter and David Duckworth kindly reviewed her medication and examined her. They were shocked to see how this insidious disease had incapacitated her at such a young age.

After a thorough review of her case, Bill and David agreed that as a matter of priority she needs to have a total knee replacement to give her some form of mobility as her knee joint is so severely damaged. However, the cost of this operation is well beyond their means. Nonetheless, on Bill’s return to Sydney, he went about seeing what he could do to help get Aishath the operation she so desperately needs.

So far Bill has managed to coordinate a team of doctors and nurses who will donate their services free of charge to perform the operation. He has even arranged for the prosthesis to be donated. AMPED will pay for the airfares and provide other support funds.

However, Tinn & Aishath will need to be appropriately accommodated in Sydney for approximately 8 weeks for her rehabilitation before being able to return to the Maldives. We are now seeking to raise the funds to rent a suitable self-contained flat where Tinn can care for Aishath during this rehab period.

It has taken a while to get this far with the medical arrangements and now we just need enough small donations from anyone who is happy to help in order to make this happen for them. AMPED has never done this before however, we believe this to be a really worthy cause and every cent that is donated will go towards their costs.

In all the years that we have known Tinn, he has never told us about his wife’s condition or asked for any assistance. Most of the money that he makes from playing gigs goes towards paying for her medication and treatment. He has had offers to play overseas but has always had to decline as he is Aishath’s full-time carer; this operation will make a huge difference to their quality of life.